Here are three keys for No. 1 Ohio State at Purdue on Nov. 8:
Avoid a trap
While the Buckeyes have shown little signs of complacency during a dominant 8-0 start, and have rarely been caught flat-footed in the Ryan Day era, few places in the Big Ten have lulled them into upsets as often as West Lafayette. They are just 4-5 in games at Purdue this century. Day led them to a 41-7 win in his only visit in 2023, but the recent history is clear that the trip shouldn’t be taken for granted even if the Boilermakers are winless in the conference.
Keep the pocket clean
The Boilermakers gave Michigan a scare last weekend, partly because they got freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood out of sync with heavy blitzing. Underwood faced pressure on 14 of his 28 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, and was sacked twice. He completed just over a third of his passes while under duress. The Buckeyes have kept their first-year starter behind center well protected, surrendering the second-fewest sacks (3) in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but Purdue’s pass rush has proven capable. The Boilermakers’ 21 sacks rank 31st among the 136 FBS teams. Defensive end CJ Nunnally IV has been disruptive with a team-high five sacks and a forced fumble.
Stop the run
While the Boilermakers will remain without star running back Devin Mockobee, who underwent season-ending ankle surgery last week, their backfield tandem of Antonio Harris and Malachi Thomas combined for 122 rushing yards at Michigan and allowed them to control the ball. One of Purdue’s touchdown drives lasted more than 9 minutes, taking most of the second quarter. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia made halftime adjustments after Penn State’s ground game powered a similar clock-eating drive last week and should stay stout.
Key matchup
Ohio State passing offense vs. Purdue passing defense
Julian Sayin’s ever-growing deep-ball chemistry with wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate was on display a week ago, and as long as the offensive line continues to keep him from facing much pressure, he should have opportunities to go long at Purdue, which has been vulnerable through the air. Among FBS teams, the Boilermakers have allowed the second-most completions of 40 or more yards (12) and the ninth-highest yards per pass attempt (8.8). But they have been improved in recent weeks, allowing less than 150 passing yards in two of their last three games, so the Buckeyes could be catching a secondary on the upswing.
Key stat
42.1: Percentage of touchdowns allowed by Purdue in the red zone, ranking eighth in the FBS.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
